Seahawks Take Out Frustrations in Home Finale, Dismantle Lions in 51-29 Drubbing
Led by scintillating performances by running back Rashaad Penny and Russell Wilson, the Seahawks took out their frustrations from a disappointing season to thrash the visiting Lions 51-29, winning their home finale at Lumen Field in convincing fashion.
Wilson completed 20 out of 29 passes for 236 yards and threw four touchdowns, including three to DK Metcalf, while Penny rushed for a career-high 170 yards and two scores. Defensively, D.J. Reed picked off backup quarterback Tim Boyle twice and Ugo Amadi added an interception of his own.
Here are five quick takeaways from Seattle's sixth win of the season:
1. Rashaad Penny keeps dominating, torches Lions with multiple explosive runs on another career day.
Coming off his second 130-plus yard outing in four weeks, Penny kept humming against a struggling Lions run defense, recording 144 rushing yards on just 16 carries in the first half alone. After the Seahawks went three-and-out to open the game, he starred on their first scoring drive, breaking loose for a 20-yard run and then putting multiple Lions defenders on skis wiggling free for a 15-yard touchdown two plays later. On the next drive, Detroit didn’t have an answer for him again, as he ripped off 23 and 13 yard runs to set up a field goal by Jason Myers. After the Lions punted, he found the end zone again from six yards out to give the ‘Hawks a 17-0 lead. Capping off a remarkable half, he bounced a between-the-tackles run outside for a 37-yard run late in the second quarter, his sixth run of 25 or more yards in the last five games.
While Penny wasn't near as productive in the second half, he still finished with a career-best 170 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries, averaging nearly seven yards per carry. He also contributed in the passing game, catching a pair of passes for 15 yards with both receptions moving the chains for a new set of downs, Set to hit free agency, the former first-round pick out of San Diego State keeps running himself back into the team’s future plans.
2. Wilson plays the roles of table setter and finisher against a maligned, short-handed secondary.
While Penny and the line blocking in front of him understandably deserve the nod as Seattle’s MVPs, Wilson himself enjoyed one of his finer games of the season. Displaying efficiency that has often evaded him since undergoing finger surgery earlier this season, he completed 70 percent of his throws in the first half and averaged 8.4 yards per attempt, hooking up with Freddie Swain for a 58-yard bomb against broken coverage and delivering a perfect 28-yard strike to Tyler Lockett on a wheel route from the slot. His best throw, however, came midway through the second quarter on 3rd and 8 from Detroit’s 13-yard line. The Lions brought the blitz on a Cover 0 look, sending eight defenders after him. The star quarterback lofted a rainbow to DK Metcalf off his back foot, beating the blitz for a touchdown to extend the lead to 24-7.
Out of the break, Wilson continued to dice up a Lions secondary missing multiple starters, connecting with Metcalf again on a back-shoulder throw for a 13-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 38-7 less than a minute into the third quarter. After Detroit went on a mini run to cut the lead to 16, he would find Metcalf one more time from a yard out on a play action bootleg early in the fourth quarter, pushing the advantage back to 23. Throwing four touchdowns total, he tied Dan Marino and Peyton Manning for the most four-plus touchdown performances (17) in his first 10 seasons in NFL history.
3. For one game at least, the Wilson to Metcalf connection hummed on all cylinders.
When it comes to trying to assess everything that went wrong for Seattle's offense this year, a number of factors have played into those unexpected struggles. Wilson and Metcalf not consistently being on the same page has certainly played a part, as the quarterback/receiver duo have had their share of problems hooking up throughout the course of the season, particularly on third downs. In multiple instances, Metcalf has returned to the sidelines irked by his quarterback's inability to get the football to him in crucial situations.
But that wasn't the case on Sunday with both players all smiles on the sidelines after combining for their first three touchdown outing as teammates. Overall, Wilson completed six out of nine targets to Metcalf for 63 yards, three scores, and a pair of first down conversions, providing a bit of positive momentum for the pair as the end of a challenging season approaches.
4. Dealing with injuries and COVID absences at all three levels, the Seahawks turned in an uneven defensive outing.
Statistically, Seattle made more than enough plays in the first half defensively, limiting Detroit to seven points and 140 net yards. Backup quarterback Tim Boyle was held to a 54 percent completion rate and the Lions converted on only two out of six third down opportunities, ultimately punting three times and turning the ball over on downs once. Safety Ryan Neal also narrowly missed out on a strip sack that resulted in a fumble recovery deep in Lions' territory. The only real mishap in the half came when rookie receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown broke free on a 26-yard touchdown on a 3rd and 10 draw, breaking tackle attempts by Darrell Taylor and Quandre Diggs in the process.
But after Reed's first pick opened the third quarter and set up Wilson's second touchdown to Metcalf, minus linebacker Bobby Wagner, cornerback Sidney Jones, and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, the Seahawks allowed three consecutive touchdown drives with Boyle at the controls. At the center of that onslaught was St. Brown, who finished the afternoon with eight receptions for 111 yards and scored two touchdowns in the game, including a seven-yard score from Boyle to cut the deficit to 38-15. Tackle Taylor Decker later added a touchdown reception as an eligible receiver and Jamaal Williams plunged into the end zone from a yard out to cap off the flurry of offense to keep the Lions within striking distance.
5. Quick change opportunities proved to be the difference as Seattle built and maintained an insurmountable lead.
While the Seahawks gave up more than 350 yards of offense and over six yards per play to an undermanned offense missing starting quarterback Jared Goff, they finally produced turnovers in bunches to help offset that yardage. Entering Sunday's game, the Seahawks didn't have a single interception by a cornerback all year long, but Reed became the first to accomplish the feat after Boyle fumbled a snap and made an errant throw, allowing the corner to deflect the pass in the air and come underneath it for the pick. Wilson hit Metcalf just two plays later, pushing the lead to 31 points.
Later in the half, slot cornerback Ugo Amadi registered his first career interception against Boyle, nearly fumbling the ball out of the end zone for a safety. Fortunately, that didn't happen and Jason Myers connected on a field goal moments later. Reed put the cherry on top late in the fourth quarter picking off Boyle again, allowing the Seahawks to run out the clock and take a knee near the goal line for a commanding 22-point victory.
